VoIP technology is all the rage at the moment in telephony, particularly among start-up businesses. You might, however, be wondering whether the technology really lives up to the cost-saving hype that surrounds it.
Does it cost a lot to transition to a Voice over IP setup?
The truth is that the investment required to transition to IP telephony has never been so low. There is no expensive installation of phone lines and no maintenance costs for external technicians.
There is also the possibility of no hardware costs. This is due to the abundance of softphone apps available for computers, tablets, and mobile phones. This multi-platform availability allows you to break out of the traditional office space, helping you to be available to your customers in a wider range of scenarios.
Will I spend less on phone calls?
Voice over IP uses the internet as its backbone. This means that providers can take advantage of the economies of scale that this technology can offer. Lower running costs (compared to traditional landline providers) produce lower costs for the consumer.
It is also easier to track and monitor calls. This can increase productivity and reduce wasted time on phone calls, allowing you to make your business more efficient.
As well as efficiency, scalability is of paramount importance to any ambitious growing business. The cost savings go even further than just upfront spending: with the significantly lower costs of both domestic and international calls, your business can serve a worldwide market that otherwise may not have been a possibility. If your business’ needs grow, no matter how rapidly, the system can scale with them.
What equipment might I need for a business Voice over IP setup?
A business setup will require ‘SIP trunks’ and potentially IP telephones (depending on business needs). A SIP trunk is hosted through your router by a service provider and allows you to make one external call over the internet (2 SIP Trunks = 2 concurrent external calls, etc.). Therefore, if only one person will make external calls at a time, you only require a single user package. On the other hand, if more people will be making external calls at once, you can increase the number of SIP trunks as necessary. The beauty of Voice over IP is that you are in total control of your spending.
All of these factors together show in just how many different ways the growth of this technology can help save your business money.
